Department Information

News Detail

The outdoor classroom used by countless students and faculty for research, leisure and learning will be the centerpiece of discussion at a SUNY Cortland Community Roundtable on Thursday, April 4.

Two SUNY Cortland faculty members, geologist David Barclay and biologist Larry Klotz, will share their knowledge about this rich academic treasure during the talk from 8 to 9 a.m. in the Park Center Hall of Fame Room.

The Roundtable, titled “Discover Hoxie Gorge — A Natural Laboratory for Teaching and Research in Cortland County,” is sponsored by the College President’s Office. Roundtables are free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served at 7:45 a.m. Parking is available in the open lots next to Park Center.

Nearly every year, 1,000 SUNY Cortland students visit Hoxie Gorge Nature Preserve for academic field work. Scholarly work conducted in this open air wilderness setting, located on 169 acres just seven miles from campus, has resulted in 39 theses and publications. Additionally, faculty members and students have conducted research at Hoxie Gorge supported by more than $1 million in grant funding.

Barclay, an associate professor in the College’s Geology Department, will share his thoughts about the geological riches at Hoxie Gorge. He counts the site among his extensive list of research locations.

Barclay has focused his Hoxie Gorge studies on the landscape history, impacts of flood events on the pristine stream channel and tree ring analysis dating back to the early 1700s.

He received his doctorate in geology at University of Buffalo.

Klotz, a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor in the College’s Biological Scineces Department, currently is the chair of the Hoxie Gorge Committee. He incorporates a hands-on teaching approach in his courses by using the outdoor facility as a classroom for his students. Klotz has studied nutrient cycling, aquatic production and the importance of beavers.

He earned master of science and doctoral degrees from the University of Connecticut.

By their senior year, 73 percent of SUNY Cortland students had participated in a form of real-life learning, whether it was through a field experience such as at Hoxie Gorge or through an internship or clinical assignment.

For more information about the presentation, contact Barclay at 607-753-2921 or Klotz at 607-753-2709. For information about the roundtables, contact Karen Seibert at 607-753-2377.